Wardrobe case



P 1938- s. BLUMENTHAL I 2,131,267

WARDROBE CASE Filed Feb. 26, 1957 2 Sheet-Sheet 1 Sept. 27, 1938. S, BLUMENTHAL 2,131,267

WARDROBE CASE Filed Feb. 26, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 27, 1938 warren STATES PATENT oFFics WARDROBE CASE Application February 26, 1937, Serial No. 127,864

This invention relates to luggage or wardrobe carriers of the suitcase type, and contemplates the provision of a luggage carrier embodying such a construction that its capacityis materially increased, without the necessity of making it complicated, cumbersome or costly.

Claim.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved luggage carrier of the suitcase type, having a wardrobe or garment receiver mounted therein, adapted to swing into an upright or vertical position, but which when in such position, is disposed substantially entirely outside the main section of the case so as to in no wise interfere with the removal of any portion of the contents of the case, or occupy any space within the main section of the case which might otherwise be used for packing purposes.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of an improved wardrobe case having a 20 garment or wardrobe receiver which is in the form of a tray adapted for disposition within the main section of the case, said tray having one end hinged in line with one side wall of the main section of the case, the pivot being so located that the receiver is disposed entirely outside the main section when it is moved to a vertical position.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of an improved wardrobe case having a garment or wardrobe receiver which is in the form of a tray, closed at both ends but having an opening in the bottom wall thereof adjacent one end thereof, for permitting the passage therethrough into the case of a portion of the garments supported in said receiver, thereby providing an increased combined length for the garment receiver without increasing the overall size of the case proper.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision in a case of the character described of a garment receiver closed at both ends, and one end of which is hinged in line with one side wall of the main section of the case, a. portion of the bottom wall of said receiver disposed adjacent the hinged end thereof being cut away to permit the passage therethrough into the case of a portion of the garments disposed within the receiver, and a closure member for said opening adapted when in one position to lie flat against the bottom Wall of said receiver, and when in another position to completely close said opening, whereby said garment receiver may be used as a. tray.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a wardrobe Case of the charac"er de scribed, a novel and improved construction of garment receiver, closed at, both ends and having an opening adjacent one of said closed ends for communication with the main section of the case, whereby the lower portions of the garments disposed within said receiver may be re ceived through said opening and into the main section of the case, and means for closing said pening so as to convert said ga ment receiver into a tray for said case. 7

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the descripfion proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and'par 'icularly pointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a wardrobe case embodying my invention, with the ward robe or garment receiver in vertical position;

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in section, and partly in elevation, taken longitudinally through the case with the garment receiver being shown in full lines in a horizontal position, and in dot and dash lines in a vertical position;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the garment receiver;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the hinged connection between the garment receiver and the end wall of the main section of the case taken substantially on line 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 'I! of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings more particularly by characters of reference, the numeral It designates the main section of a portable luggage carrier, to which the cover or lid H is sui'ably hinged along one marginal edge, the cover'being provided ith conventional locking devices l2, and the main section being provided with a handle 13 on its front wall, and another handle It on one of its end walls.

The main or bottom section of the case has end walls l5 and front and rear walls [6, the latter being provided with pairs of opposed guide substantially members I! and E8, the members of each pair .the drawings.

being channeled to receive therein the side marginal edges of partition members l9 and 20 respectively. Although this arrangement makes it possible to remove the partitions I9 and 20, it is to be understood that that is not necessary, as said partition members may be permanently and rigidly secured in place if that should be necessary or desirable.

The space formed between the partition member 20 and the adjacent end wall 15 provides a vertical well or space 2|, which forms a transverse extension for a garment or wardrobe receiving tray 22, to be presently more fully described. The partition I9 divides the space between the partition 20 and the other end wall I5 into various article receiving compartments which are normally closed by the receiver 22, and which thus forms an internal cover for the main section of the case.

The garment receiver 22 is in the form of a tray of uniform height and is of a size which is adapted to extend substantially across the full width and length of the main section of the case, said receiver having the bottom wall 23, the end walls 23 and 25, and the side walls 26. The end wall 25 is provided adjacent its side edges with the hinge members 21, which are adapted for cooperation with complementary hinge members 28 secured to the upper inner edge of the end wall !5 of the main section. The hinged connections 2l28 are so arranged that when the receiver is in its horizontal position, the same may be readily lifted out from the main section of the case without necessitating disconnection or manipulation of the hinged members, but at the same time will bring about a hinged connection between the receiver and the end wall of the main section when the receiver is moved to its vertical position. Suitable finger openings 29 ,are provided in each end wall of the receiver for facilitating in lifting the same from the case.

The end wall of the receiver or tray 22 remote from the hinged end thereof is provided with a substantially U-shaped bracket 30 secured to the inner face of the end wall 25 intermediate the end thereof, one leg portion of said bracket being adapted to receive thereon a plurality of hangers 3!, each one of which is provided adjacent its upper edge with a slot 32 by means of which the said hanger is mounted on the bracket 33. To prevent the accidental displacement of the hanger from the bracket, there is provided a spring member 33, one end of which is secured to one leg portion of the bracket 33, and the other end of which is adapted to resiliently rest against the upper portion of the opposite leg of said U- shaped bracket as shown more fully in Fig. 2 of The hangers 3i are also provided with hooks 34, which are pivotally connected thereto and normally are in the position illustrated in Fig. 4, but which may be moved about their pivots to provide support therefor when removed from the case.

The bottom wall 23 of the receiver is provided immediately adjacent the end wall 25 with an opening 35 extending across the full width thereof, said opening extending longitudinally from the end wall 25 to a point immediately adjacent the partition 26 when the receiver is in its horizontal position as shown in Fig. 2. This opening 35 is adapted to establish connection between the inside of the tray or receiver and the well 2!, whereby when the garments are placed in the re ceiver their lower ends 36 are received in the well 2|, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

This condition will be true whether the receiver is in a horizontal or a vertical position.

To prevent the garments from becoming creased or wrinkled at the point where they pass from the tray into the well 2|, the inner marginal edge of the opening 35 is provided with a rounded edge which may be produced by attaching to said marginal edge a cylindrical rod 31 as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. Thus it will be noted that at the point where the garments hang over into the space 2 I, they will engage the rounded edge of the rod 3?, thereby preventing said garments from becoming creased or wrinkledat that point.

In addition to being used as agarment receiver, the member 22 may also be used as a tray for carrying various articles in which case it is desirable to have the opening 35 closed so as to form a substantially solid wall for the bottom of the tray 22. To close this opening 35 there is provided adjacent said opening a closure member 38, which is hingedly secured to the bottom wall 23 adjacent the inner marginal edge of said opening, said closure member being normally disposed fiat against the bottom wall of the receiver as shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 6. However, should it become necessary or desirable to convert the carrier into a tray, then the said closure member 38 may be moved to a position where it will close the opening 35, in which position it may be detachably secured by a suitable snap fastener 39 as shown in Fig. 5. A suitable strap 40 may be provided in the receiver 22 for the purpose of holding the garments in place in the receiver.

The cover I I may also be provided with suitable clasping members 4| adjacent the end walls thereof, which members are readily adapted for holding neckties or the like in a neat and orderly fashion. The said cover member may also be provided with a suitable pocket 42, which may be closed by a suitable slide fastener 43. This pocket will be useful for receiving and holding small articles of clothing, such for example as handkerchiefs, socks, etc., and said pocket when filled will act as a cushion for engaging the garments in the receiver when the case is in closed position, and to thereby prevent said garments from becoming creased or shifted in the receiver.

When the receiver is in its vertical position as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, it will be noted that the end wall 25 will rest on the wall I 5 of the main section of the case, and will thus be supported thereon without further supporting means. However, in order to further assure the supporting of the receiver in its vertical position, there is provided a link 44, one end of which is pivotally secured to the inner face of the front wall l6 as shown at 45 in Fig. 3, and the other end of which may be detachably secured to a stud 46 provided on the side wall 26 of the receiver 22, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

From the above, it will be noted that I have provided a readily portable luggage carrier, having a garment receiver associated with it, which is adapted to carry a plurality of garments, with the lower ends of said garments being disposed in the main section of the case by means of an opening provided in said receiver adjacent the end wall thereof which is remote from the end wall on which the garments are supported, and means for closing said opening when it is desired to use said garment receiver merely as a tray. It will also be noted that the garment receiver when disposed in its vertical position will be substantially entirely outside of the case, thereby permitting ready access to the main section of the case both for packing and unpacking.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claim.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

Hand luggage comprising a main section and a cover therefor, a garment receiver hingedly connected with one end wall of the main section to normally form a cover for the main section and adapted to be swung to a vertical position, in

which position it will lie in substantially the same vertical plane with the end wall of the main sec tion to which it is hinged, said garment receiver having an opening provided in the bottom wall thereof adjacent its hinged end, the end of the garment receiver opposite its hinged connection with the main section having garment supporting means, said garment supporting means being adapted to receive garments, the lower ends of which are" passed through said opening into the main section, and means for closing said opening to form a bottom solid wall for said receiver, whereby the latter will constitute a tray when disposed within the main section. a

' SAMUEL BLUMENTI-IAL. 

